Silicon Valley’s ongoing love affair with massive infrastructure projects just got another plot twist. The Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) is knee-deep in its BART expansion project, and surprise, surprise - it’s costing way more than anyone expected.

The 6-mile underground tunnel, stretching beneath downtown San Jose, is currently wrestling with some serious budget drama. With a whopping $12.75 billion price tag, this project is making tech bros’ wallets weep.

The Budget Rollercoaster

VTA’s chief megaprojects officer Tom Maguire isn’t mincing words. The current contractor’s prices are “nearly double” the agency’s budget, which is basically startup-speak for “we’re totally screwed”. They’ve already found $400 million in savings by cutting design corners - because who needs fancy stations when you can have functional transit, right?

The Federal Lifeline

Thanks to a $5.1 billion federal grant, they’re covering about 40% of the costs. But there’s still a cool $1 billion gap staring them down. It’s like trying to Kickstart a transit project and realizing you’re still short a few million.

The Timeline Tango

Despite all the financial gymnastics, VTA remains optimistic. They’re aiming to open the extension by 2037 - just in time for some Millennial engineers to potentially use it with their retirement savings. Tom Maguire is confident they’ll “compress the schedule,” which is corporate-speak for “we’ll figure it out… somehow”.

Stay tuned, Bay Area transit lovers - this saga is far from over.